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Committee advances facility-repurposing policy to full board, seeks tools to prevent heavy-industry reuse
Summary
The committee moved a draft facility repurposing and community asset stewardship policy to the full board for first read, emphasizing deed restrictions and other legal tools to keep surplus Atlanta Public Schools property in community-serving uses rather than heavy industry or data centers.
The policy review committee on June 23 advanced a draft facility repurposing and community asset stewardship policy to the full Atlanta Public Schools board for first read, with members stressing community benefit and long-term protections for surplus property.
Chairman Alfa Shivy Brooks framed the policy by citing media coverage that raised concern about rapid data-center growth in Atlanta and noting APS’s substantial land holdings. Brooks said the aim is to “ensure that none of our properties turn into anything that’s heavy or hard industry or turn into data centers” and to secure uses that benefit neighborhoods and students.
General counsel Nina Gupta told the committee that the board can place deed restrictions on property sales and that the board must approve sales; deed restrictions can remain in perpetuity but require enforcement if violated. Gupta advised the committee that deed restrictions are valuable but should be tailored to the unique characteristics of each parcel rather than embedded as a single blanket rule in the policy.
Committee members endorsed community-first guiding principles and asked staff to ensure the policy's provisions are durable and enforceable over decades. The committee voted to move the draft policy to the full board for first read; specific sale terms and potential deed-restriction language will be developed with legal and operational staff as the item advances.
